Four years after his first attempt ended in a heart attack a thousand feet from the summit, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has reached the top of Everest, the oldest Briton to do so.

The 65-year-old adventurer got there just before 1am BST this morning, and said he had fulfilled what had "long been a personal goal".

It was his third bid to conquer the mountain. Last year, after reaching 8,400 metres, he had to turn back due to exhaustion.

In 2005, his heart gave out, and he was left on the mountainside feeling "as if an elephant was sitting on my chest".

His success, in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care, came after he had vowed never to risk his life again. "I won't be returning to Everest," he said after the failed attempt in 2008. "It's a seven-week trip. Last time I had a heart attack, this time bad timing and weather scuppered my chances. I think any third attempt would be bad luck."

As well as becoming the oldest Briton to climb the Himalayan peak, Fiennes also becomes the first explorer to both attain the world's highest mountain andits most northerly and southerly points.

He said today: "I urge everyone who followed my attempt last year to give generously to Marie Curie, so that we can at last achieve our £3m target to support its pioneering work in end-of-life care."

Thomas Hughes-Hallett, the charity's chief executive, said: "Everyone at Marie Curie is delighted. We know it meant so much to him; we are so grateful to Ran for all his support for the charity, and for his determination to personally take the Marie Curie flag to the summit."